Winding apparatus



March 4, 1969 J. p. KIERONSIKII 3,430,875

WINDING APPARATUS Filed June 19, 1957 5 "9) ffl b Z2 Z v D /6 2 A Z 40 l 4 j I f/ PRESSURE f4 CONTROLLER & PRESSURE SOURCE INVENTOR. JOHN P. KIERONSKI l W V hjs ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,430,875 VENDING APPARATUS John P. Kieronski, Whitiusville, Mass, assignor to Whitin Machine Works, Inc, Whitinsville, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Filed June 19, 1967, Ser. No. 647,028

US. Cl. 242-18 14 Claims Int. Cl. B65h 54/00 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A mounting mechanism for the take-up roll of apparatus for Winding flexible material into a roll of the type in which the take-up roll is driven by a drive roll that engages the material already Wound onto it, thereby driving the take-up roll at a constant peripheral speed. The mechanism comprises a first member hingeably connected to a fixed support for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis A, a second member mounted for pivotal movement about an axis B which is parallel to the axis A and is shiftable along a vertical plane passing substantially through the axis A, the first member being pivotably coupled to the second member at an axis C. The take-up roll is mounted on the second member with its axis along a line D parallel to and lying in a plane with the axes B and C. The distances F0, E and D C, measured in a plane perpendicular to the axes A, B, C and D, are equal to each other. The mounting mechanism embodies the principles of a mechanism known as the Scott-Russell mechanism.

Background of the invention This invention relates to apparatus for winding flexible material onto a roll of the type in which the take-up roll is driven by a drive roll that engages the material already wound onto the roll and thus drives the take-up roll at a constant peripheral speed and, more particularly, to a novel and improved mounting for the take-up roll.

In Winding flexible material such as a web of paper, fabric, foil, plastic film, metal or thread-like material, it is often desirable or necessary to Wind the material at a uniform speed, especially when the material being wound is coming from a step in the manufacturing process or a treatment operation which is carried out at a uniform speed. Although apparatus in which the takeup roll is driven through its shaft is available for providing a constant peripheral speed, such devices using various speed control principles, in many cases, it is more convenient to drive the take-up roll by means of a drive roll that directly engages the material already wound onto the roll. Thus, when the drive roll is driven at a uniform speed, it drives the take-up roll at a uniform speed.

In the types of winding machines that employ a drive roll in direct engagement with the material already Wound onto the take-up roll, provision must be made for relative movement between the axis of the take-up roll and the drive roll, inasmuch as the roll of material is increasing in size. Accordingly, the drive roll must be mounted for movement relative to the take-up roll, or vice versa. Usually, it is more convenient to mount a take-up roll for movement relative to a fixed drive roll, since this permits the drive train to be stationary and of simpler construction. In either instance, however, the change in the relative positions of the axes of the takeup and drive rolls can, with many conventional designs, affect the pressure with which the drive roll engages the rollof material, and this in turn can adversely affect the tightness, roundness and other characteristics of the roll, as well as cause vibrations and other difficulties in operation of the equipment. Putting it another Way, it is often important to maintain a substantially uniform pressure or a cont-rolled pressure gradient throughout the building of the roll of the material.

Special problems are encountered in winding threadlike material such as yarn onto a roll, an operation generally referred to in the art as building a package. For one thing, the speed must be closely controlled to keep pace with the operations that precede the winding. In addition, the yarn must be guided back and forth across the length of the package by means of reciprocating yarn traverse guide mechanism, the operation of which is critical to obtaining a package which is substantially cylindrical and free of irregularities along the length and across the diameter of the package. Also important is the pressure between the drive roll and the package as it is building, this pressure sometimes being termed the pinch pressure, because it determines in large measure the compactness of the package and also it has considerable infiuence on the roundness of the package; it is especially important, therefore, that the pinch pressure be kept at a predetermined value or a controlled gradient in order to obtain a good quality package.

In addition to the complexities discussed above, there are also other problems that concern the physical arrangement of the winding equipment and the convenience with which it can be operated and maintained. For example, the winding apparatus should provide ready access to the take-up roll for the removal of the finished package and the placement of an empty bobbin as quickly and as easily as possible. The geometric relationship between the yarn traverse guide and the package is also of importance; the yarn, of course, runs from the guide onto the roll at a tangent point or so-called lash point, and applicant has found that best results are obtained if the distance between the lash point and the guide are kept at a minimum. Inasmuch as the diameter of the roll of the package is constantly increasing as the thread is wound onto it, it is inevitable that the lash point should change somewhat relative to the guide as the diameter of the package increases; this creates additional problems since the distance from the guide to the lash point somewhat aifects the configuration of the helical winds of the thread onto the package with a given traverse cam.

There have been various proposals for mounting a takeup roll, bobbin or the like for movement relative to a fixed drive roll, and many of these mechanisms have been proposed in recognition of the problem of maintaining a reasonably uniform pinch pressure between the roll of material and the drive roll; In general, the proposed mountings include a biasing mechanism that is designed so that the degree of biasing of the take-up roll against the drive roll is varied to compensate for the change in mass of the roll. In other words, many of these devices operate by detecting any change in pressure between the take-up roll and the drive roll and responding to any change by altering a biasing force.

Some of the previously proposed mechanisms also incorporate a swing arm mounting for the take-up roll so that the trajectory of the axis of the take-up roll is along an are. In these designs, the position of the nip between the drive roll and the take-up roll varies considerably, and consequently this type of mechanism also necessarily involves a change in pinch pressure as the roll builds.

Summary of the invention There is provided, in accordance with the present invention, a novel and improved winding apparatus, and, particularly, a mounting mechanism for the take-up roll which provides for movement of the take-up roll away from the drive roll to compensate for the build-up of material on the roll as winding proceeds and also provides for the maintenance of a controlled pinch pressure between the take-up roll and the drive roll independently of the change in size and mass of the take-up roll.

More particularly, the mounting mechanism comprises a first mounting member hingeably connected to a fixed support for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis A, and a second member mounted for pivotal movement about an axis B that is parallel to the axis A and is movable along a vertical plane passing substantially through the axis A. The first member is pivotably coupled to the second member at an axis C, parallel to axes A and B, and the take-up roll is mounted on the second member such that its axis is coincident with an axis D parallel to the axes A, B and C. The mechanism is dimensioned and configured such that the axes B, C and D lie in common plane and the distances E, F) and 56, measured in a plane perpendicular to the several axes, are equal to each other.

Although the two members constituting the mounting may take various shapes, the mechanism considered basically and schematically, is composed of a straight shorter link pivotably mounted for rotation about a fixed axis at one end and pivotably linked at its other end to the midpoint of a straight link having a length twice that of the shorter link. One end of the longer link is mounted for sliding movement along a vertical plane passing through the fixed pivotal axis of the shorter link, while the take-up roll is rotatably mounted at the other end of the longer link. Thus the mounting mechanism embodies the principles of a mechanism known as the Scott-Russell mechanism.

Among the advantages of the mounting are (1) that it provides linear movement, that is translation along a straight line, of the free end of the longer link and (2) that a vertical load at the free end of the longer link neither moves the mechanism, that is, changes the position of the free end of the longer link or either of the links, nor, ipso facto, produces any lateral force components on the links. It should be mentioned that these characteristics of the mechanism assume that the links are weightless, but this condition can be duplicated by counter-balancing the mounting links so that the center of gravity is through the axes A and B. Accordingly, when the drive roll is positioned generally laterally of the takeup roll, the take-up roll, as described above, being at the free end of the longer link, the fact that the mass and diameter of the roll are constantly increasing does not change the pinch pressure between the drive roll and the material being wound on the take-up roll; the mechanism inherently provides for one of the important advantages of the winding apparatus of the invention, namely a uniform pinch pressure regardless of the mass or size of the roll as it is being wound.

Among other preferred features of the winding apparatus are the mounting of the take-up roll, such as by means of a chuck that permits quick and easy mounting of a bobbin or core, for movement between a first position locating the take-up roll for winding (in a plane with the coupling between the shorter and longer links and the slidable end of the longer link and also at the same distance from the coupling between the two links as the distance from that coupling to the fixed pivot of the shorter "link and the slidable axis) and second position in which the take-up roll is readily accessible for removal of the completed roll and replacement of a new bobbin or core. To this end, the second or longer link of the mechanism may be constructed in two parts connected by a pivot or other movable coupling such that the link can, in effect, be broken to move the take-up roll out of the operating position. A releasable latch can be provided to normally lock the second link in operating position but permit the link to be broken.

Where the apparatus of the invention is employed in winding thread-like material, such as yarn, it further comprises a yarn traverse guide for moving the yarn back and forth along the length of the roll to wind it helically into a package. Preferably, the traverse guide is located at a point closely spaced radially from a zone common to the circumferences of the roll in all stages of its formation; this zone is a narrow, slightly curved imaginary plane defined by the intersections of the range of roll or package surfaces throughout its formation. Locating the traverse guide in such a position is dependent upon locating the drive roll a short distance above or below the horizontal plane along which the axis of the take-up roll translates as the roll builds and provides a minimum distance between the guide and the lash point, that is, the point where the yarn engages the surface of the roll.

The take-up roll is held in engagement with the drive roll with a predetermined drive pressure by biasing the mounting linkage. In a preferred embodiment the biasing force is provided by a pneumatic cylinder, the pressure by which the cylinder is operated determining the pinch pressure between the take-up roll and drive roll. Advantageously, the pressure may be varied to meet the requirements of the particular winding operation and the applied pressure for a given winding operation may also be varied to, for example, provide a relatively higher pressure for starting up to bring the take-up roll up to speed at a relatively rapid rate and a lower pressure or a controlled pressure gradient for normal, sustained operation.

As discussed above, the apparatus of the invention offers a number of notable advantages. For one thing the pinch pressure between the take-up roll and the drive roll can be maintained at a constant, predetermined value or controlled in any desired manner during normal operation and is completely independent of the mass or size of the roll; the mechanism also affords relatively precise control of the pinch pressure, even at low values, these advantages are obtained, moreover, without any complicated system for detecting the increase in size and mass of the roll and compensating for it. Also important is the fact that the axis of the take-up roll translates along the horizontal plane, thus facilitating the maintenance of parallelism between the take-up roll, the drive roll and the traverse guide. Moreover, the linear translation of the axis also makes possible the location of the traverse guide at the point close to a zone common to the circumferences of the rolls as they build and thus facilitates maintaining a minimum distance between a yarn guide and the lash point. The mechanism of the invention also locates the take-up roll in a convenient position for removal of full rolls of material and replacement by new bobbins or cores without interference from the parts of the mechanism.

Brief description of the drawings For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be made to the following description of an exemplary embodiment, taken in conjunction with the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an end view in section, in generally schematic form, of the apparatus as it appears at an early stage in the winding operation, the section being taken just inside the near side frame or wall of the winding machine unit; and

FIG. 2 is an end view similar to FIG. 1, except that the mechanism is shown at or near the end of a winding operation with a full package on the take-up.

Description of an exemplary embodiment The exemplary embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings and described in this section is a Winding apparatus for thread-like materials, such as yarn, in which the yarn is wound into a cylindrical roll, often referred to in the industry as a package and designated P in the drawing. The yarn, which is designated in the drawing by the letter Y, is passed through a traverse guide 10, which includes a guide element 12 that is reciprocated back and forth by a cam 13 across the length of the package. As the yarn Y traverses the length of the package, the yarn is wound helically onto a core or so-called bobbin. The package is driven by a drive roll 16, the drive roll engaging a line along the circumference of the part of the package that has already been formed. By rotating the drive roll at a constant speed, the peripheral speed of the package is constant, regardless of its diameter, throughout the entire winding operation.

The bobbin is a tubular member and it is carried by a holder assembly 14 which includes a mandrel l7 journaled in a bracket 18, the holder and package being cantilevered from the bracket. The bobbin holder 14 may be of any suitable construction, various types of which are well known in the art, and is therefore not described or shown in detail. Generally, the holder will include some means for quickly dismounting a full package and mounting a new bobbin in place. T he winding apparatus of the invention is preferably operated in tandem with a second, substantially identical unit located beside it, one unit being operated while the other is made ready for takeover from the first when it is finished with a package. In addition, a brake for slowing and stopping the rotation of the package after it is finished and other operating elements may, of course, be provided in the holder.

The bracket 18 is mounted for adjustment of the axis of the holder 14, such as by a clamp fixture 2t} received on a rod 22 extending from a pivot arm 24. The arm 2 in turn, is attached by a pivot mounting 26 to one end of a main mounting member 28. The opposite end of the mounting member 28 carries a rotatable wheel 30 that is received between and is guided vertically along a track 31 defined by spaced-apart guide members 32 and 34, the track members 32 and 34 being suitably connected together and the assembly being attached to a side frame F (shown in phantom lines in the drawing) for the winding machine by means of a bracket 35. A second main mounting member 36 is pivotably connected at its lower end to an intermediate part of the member 28 by a pivot coupling 38. The upper end of the member 36 is pivotably mounted by a pivot mounting 39 for rotation about a fixed axis, designated by the letter A in the drawings and constituted by a shaft 40 mounted in the machine frame F.

The members 36 and 28, the pivot arm 24, and the bracket 18 together constitute a mechanism known as the Scott-Russell mechanism. More particularly, the pivot arm 24 is, during a winding operation, lai'ched in fixed position relative to the mounting member 28 by means of a releasable latch mechanism 42 which includes a lever 44 pivotably connected to the arm 24 by a pin 46 and having a notch 48 that receives a pin 5% on the member 28. The lever 44 is urged in a clockwise direction by a spring 51 to keep the lever engaged with the pin. When desired, however, the latch 42 may be released by pulling the lever 44 counterclockwise (with respect to the views in the drawing) to pull the notch 48 out of engagement with the pin 50, thereby permitting the arm 24, and therefore the holder 14, to be pivoted counterclockwise about the pivot coupling 25 and into the position partially shown in phantom lines in FIG. 2. In this tilted-forward position, a full package P that was just previously wound can be dismounted from the holder 14 and a new bobbin placed on the holder for the next winding operation.

In the winding position with the latch 42 secured and the arm 24 in the position shown in full in the figures, the axis of rotation of the bobbin 14, which is designated in the drawings as the axis D, is located such that the distance from it to the axis C of the pivot coupling 38 between the mounting members 28 and 36 is equal to the distance from the axis C to the axis A. In other words, the distance X6 is equal to the distance Moreover, the axis D lies in the plane defined by the axis C and the axis, designated B, of the roller 3% at the lower end of the member 28, and the dimension ITO is equal to both D C and 1T0. In effect, therefore, the mechanism are repre sented by dashed lines in the drawing is composed of a shorter link L and a longer link L the longer link L being twice the length of the shorter link L and the shorter link L being connected to the longer link L at its midpoint. The bobbin is mounted for rotation at the upper or free end of the longer link L and the upper or free end of the shorter link L is mounted for pivotal movement about a fixed axis. Finally, the lower end of the longer link L is mounted for linear translation along a vertical plane through the axis A of pivotation of the shorter link, as provided by positioning the track 31 with its center plane vertical and intersecting the axis A.

It can readily be established that the mounting mechanism provides 1) linear translation of the axis D, the axis of rotation of the package, along a horizontal plane, and (2), disregarding for the moment the weight of the members 28 and 36 and the parts associated with them, complete stability, in other words, total absence of any movement of the mechanism regardless of the weight of the package. In practice, these conditions can be substantially fulfilled by providing a counterbalancing force, such as a counterweight 52 coupled to the member 36, to effectively displace the center of gravity of the mounting members 28 and 36, the pivot arm 24, and holder 14 into a vertical plane through the axis A, regardless of the position of the mechanism. Balancing of the mechanism is facilitated by mounting the counterweight for adjustment, such as on a threaded rod 54 coupled to the mounting member 36. With the mechanism balanced by the counterwei ht, the increase in mass of the package as the yarn is wound onto the bobbin does not change the position of the mechanism.

On the other hand, a relatively small lateral force acting anywhere on the mechanism, including the axis of the drive roll, will shift the mechanism relatively easily. Thus, as the package grows, it pushes itself away from the drive roll 16, in particular, to the left with respect to the figures, the mounting mechanism affording little resistance (ignoring for the moment the pinch pressure bias force described below) to the lateral movement of the package. To minimize the resistance of the mechanism to lateral movement of the package roll, the pivot mountings at axes A and C and the roll D are provided with suitable anti-friction bearings. It might also be mentioned at this point that the clearance between the track members 32 and 34 should be slightly greater than the diameter of the wheel 30 so that the wheel 30 may roll along the track. In practice, as a matter of fact, a downward force acting at the axis of rotation of the bobbin (axis D) will always bring the wheel into rolling engagement with the right track 34. The left track 32 normally comes into operation only when the mechanism is moved back to reengage the new bobbin with the drive roll as the machine is being reset up for the next windin operation.

The pressure between the package as it is being wound and the drive roll, the so-called pinch pressure, is controlled to maintain a predetermined magnitude or a desired gradient in order to properly wind the package. In the apparatus of the invention the proper pinch pressure is maintained by introducing a biasing force into the package mounting, such as by the use of a spring or a pneumatic cylinder coupled to the mounting mechanism in a manner such that it urges the package toward the drive roll. More particularly, the embodiment shown in the drawings includes, for the purpose of providing a predetermined pinch pressure, a pneumatic system composed of a pneumatic cylinder 62 coupled to a suitable pressure source 64 through a timer-controlled pressure control unit 66. The piston of the pneumatic cylinder is coupled by connecting rod 60 to the mounting member 36 and pushes it counterclockwise about its axis A, thus producing a predetermined pinch pressure between the drive roll 16 and the package P.

Advantageously, the pressure control 66 may include an automatic system for providing a relatively higher magnitude of pinch pressure at the start-up phase of the winding operation and a relatively lower pressure for normal sustained operation once the bobbin has come up to speed. The time that the pressure is changed from the higher to lower value may be determined by a timer 66a associated with the pressure controller 66.

As a further refinement of the pinch pressure between the drive roll in the package, the exemplary embodiments shown in the drawings includes a tension spring 72, one end of which is connected by an adjustable bolt 74 to the member 36. The other end of the spring 72 is connected to the mounting member 28. Accordingly, the spring 72 urges the package towards the drive roll with a force determined by how tightly or loosely it is adjusted. The adjustment of the spring 72 enables a more refined or sensitive setting of the pinch pressure than can readily be obtained by a pneumatic system alone.

The drive roll 16 and the traverse guide 10 are located in the space between the package roll and the pivot mounting 39 of the mounting member 36 and are positioned relatively close to each other on opposite sides of the horizontal plane traversed by the package axis D as the package increases in diameter. Although the location of the drive roll slightly below the plane along which the package moves as it builds means that the nip between the package and the drive roll changes slightly as the package diameter increases, this affects the pinch pressure only slightly because of the small difference in the angle at which the pressure is applied, This arrangement, however, has the advantage of providing a location for the guide element 12 which is in proximity to the periphery of the package, regardless of the stage of its formation. Referring to FIG. 1, it will be observed that the periphery of the package when it is started intersects the periphery of the full package (as shown in phantom lines) and the traverse guide element 12 is located radially a short distance from that line. As the packages increase in size, the peripheries of the infinite range of sizes between the smallest and the largest stage also intersect, the locus of the intersections being a narrow curved plane in the immediate vicinity of the guide element 12. By keeping the guide element 12 close to the periphery of the package in this manner, the distance from the guide to the point where the yarn meets the package perimeter (the lash point) is kept at a minimum; in turn, the minimum distance from the guide point to the lash point has been found to provide excellent control over the traverse of the yarn across the length of the package.

To provide optimum operation of the mechanism, a number of adjustment features are included. For one thing, an adjustment may be made to ensure that the package axis moves horizontally as the package increases in diameter, and this is accomplished by changing the position of the track assembly 31 which guides the vertically moving axis B of the mechanism. Adjustment of the bobbin 14 to align it parallel with the drive roll and to level it are provided in the bobbin holder bracket coupling 20. The desired spacing between the traverse guide element 12 and the periphery of the package can be obtained by shortening or lengthening the part of the latch arm 44 between the pivot point 46 and the latch 48; to this end the latch lever arm 44 may be made in two parts fastened together by screws received in elongated slots providing for adjustment between the parts. This adjustment is made in conjunction with an adjustable stop 70 which sets the position of the arm 24.

An adjustable stop 68 on the vertical track 31 prevents the empty chuck that carries the bobbin from engaging the drive roll 16, thus preventing the possibility that the chuck or drive roll might be damaged when the machine is not in operation. As previously described, a fine adjustment of the nip pressure between the package and drive 15 and drive roll 16 are provided by the adjustable coupling 74 associated with the tension spring 72. In addi- 8 tion, the mechanism is initially balanced by adjusting the position of the counterweight 52 using the threaded mounting 54. Normally the adjustments described above are made only when the machine is set up initially, but periodic checks may be made and readjustments, as described above, made when found necessary.

The operation of the winding apparatus is as follows: Referring to FIG. 1, the apparatus is shown there in the position it occupies to begin a winding operation, and the yarn Y has been inserted through the guide element 12 and is winding onto the newly installed empty bobbin. The bobbin is brought up to operating speed by applying the relatively higher pressure from the pressure source 64, as established by the control 66, to the pneumatic cylinder 62, thereby applying a relatively higher pinch pressure. Under the control of the timer 66a, the initial, relatively higher pressure is reduced when operating speed has been attained. Thereafter, a lower, normal pinch pressure is maintained. The drive roll 16 rotates and drives the package by direct engagement with the cylindrical body of yarn already wound onto the bobbin. The guide element 12 is reciprocated longitudinally across the periphery of the package by a scroll cam 13, thus winding the yarn helically around the rotating bobbin.

As the size of the package increases, the package acts against the drive roll 16 and pushes itself transversely along a horizontal plane to the left, with respect to the figures of the drawing, the leftward movement being afforded by change in the relative positions of the mounting members 28 and 36. In particular, the member 28 rotates counterclockwise with respect to the axis C where it is pivotably connected to the member 36, while the roller 30 slides upwardly along the track 31. In the meantime the member 36 rotates clockwise about the axis A constituted by the pivot shaft 40. During the winding of the package, the pinch pressure between the drive roll and the periphery of the part of the package then completed is controlled by operation of the pneumatic cylinder 62. At the same time, however, the increase inthe mass of the package has no effect on the pinch pressure. The control of pinch pressure and the proximity of the guide 12 to the periphery of the roll, regardless of the size of the package, provides a package having excellent shape, winding pattern and other characteristics.

When the package is full, as shown in FIG. 2, the operating pressure to the neumatic cylinder 62 is shut off, the package is disengaged from the drive roll 16 and is braked to a stop, and the releasable latch 42 is operated by pulling on the lever 44, thereby permitting the package to be shifted forward by counterclockwise pivoting of the pivot arm 24 into a position for more convenient access and for removal of the package from the holder. A new bobbin is then placed on the chuck, the arm 24 is pivoted back into normal operating position, as shown in FIG. 1, and the latch 42 is closed to lock the arm 24 in operating position.

The embodiment of the invention described above is merely exemplary, and those skilled in the art will be able to make numerous variations and modifications of it without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for winding flexible material into a roll, the apparatus including a take-up roll onto which the material is wound and a drive roll adapted to engage the material already wound on the take-up roll and drive the take-up roll at a predetermined peripheral speed, the combination therewith of a take-up roll mounting comprising a first member mounted for pivotal movement about a fixed horizontal axis A, a second member mounted for pivotal movement about an axis B parallel to the axis A, the axis B being shiftable along a vertical plane passing substantially through axis A and the first member being pivotably coupled to the second member at an axis C parallel to the axes A and B, and means rotatably mounting the take-up roll on the second member with the take-up roll axis D parallel to the axes A, B and C, the axes B, C and D defining a plane and the distances AT), m and D C measured in a plane perpendicular to the axes A, B, C and D being equal to each other.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising counterweight means coupled to the first and second members for locating the center of gravity of the take-up roll mounting substantially in the said vertical plane.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising means coupled to one of the first and second members for urging it in a direction providing a driving pressure engagement of the take-up roll against the drive roll.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the means mounting the take-up roll on the second member includes a roll carrier element movably carried by the second member and releasable latch means normally rigidly fixing the coupling element in a position locating the take-up roll axis coincident with the said axis D and releasable to atford moving the take-up roll out of engagement with the drive roll and into a position facilitating removal of the roll of material after it has been fully wound.

5. Apparatus for Winding flexible material into a roll comprising a take-up roll; a drive roll positioned generally laterally of the take-up roll and engageable with the material already wound onto the take-up roll to drive the take-up roll at a constant peripheral speed; and a mounting for the take-up roll including a first member pivotably connected to a fixed support for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis A substantially parallel to the axis of the drive roll, the axis A being on the opposite side of the drive roll from the take-up roll, a second member mounted for pivotal movement about an axis B parallel to the axis of the drive roll and for linear translation of the axis B along a vertical plane passing substantially through the axis A, the first member being pivotably coupled to the second member at an axis C parallel to the axis of the drive roll, means rotatably mounting the take-up roll on the second member in a position in which the roll axis is coincident with an axis D parallel to the drive roll, the axis D being in a common plane with the axes B and C and the distances IO, F6 and D C measured in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the drive roll being equal to each other, and counterweight means coupled to the members for efiYectively locating the center of gravity of the take-up roll mounting substantially in the said vertical plane.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the means rotatably mounting the take-up roll is movable relative to the second member to move the roll between the said position and a second position remote from the said position in which removal of the take-up roll is facilitated.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6 further comprising releasable latch means selectively operable to lock the take-up roll in the said first position and releasable to afford movement of the take-up roll into the said second position.

8. Apparatus according to claim 5, the apparatus being particularly suited for winding thread-like material onto the take-up roll, further comprising reciprocating traverse guide means mounted in a position adjacent the drive roll for guiding the thread-like material back and forth across the take-up roll.

9. Apparatus according to claim 8 wherein the traverse guide means is located at a position closely spaced radially from an imaginary surface segment that is the locus of lines of intersection on the circumference of the roll of material in its smallest size and the circumferences in all stages of its formation.

10. Apparatus according to claim 5 further compris- 10 ing means coupled to the mounting members for urging the take-up roll generally toward the drive roll to provide predetermined driving pressure engagement of the take-up roll against the drive roll.

11. Apparatus according to claim 10 wherein the means urging the take-up roll toward the drive roll includes a pneumatic cylinder and means for delivering a variable pneumatic pressure to the cylinder to selectively change the driving pressure between the take-up roll and the drive roll.

12. Apparatus for winding flexible material into a roll comprising a take-up roll; a drive roll engageable with the material already wound onto the take-up roll to drive the take-up roll at a constant peripheral speed, the drive roll axis being positioned below and closely spaced from a horizontal plane through the axis of the take-up roll; a mounting for the take-up roll including a first member pivotably connected to a fixed support for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis A substantially parallel to the axis of the drive roll, the axis A being on the opposite side of the drive roll from the take-up roll, fixed guide means spaced below the axis A and defining a guide track aligned on a substantially vertical plane passing through the axis A, a second member carrying a guide follower received by the guide means and aifording linear translation of an axis B of the second member along the said guide path, means pivotably coupling the first member to the second member at an axis C parallel to the axis of the drive roll, means rotatably mounting the take-up roll on the second member in a position in which the roll axis D is parallel to the drive roll, the axis D lying in the plane defined by the axes B and C and the distances 78E, 1% and 56 measured in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the drive roll being equal to each other, and counterweight means coupled to the members for etfectively locating the center of gravity of the mounting substantially in the said vertical plane; reciprocating traverse guide means mounted above and closely adjacent the drive roll and closely spaced radially from an imaginary surface segment that is the locus of the lines of intersection of the circumference of the roll of material in its smallest size and the circumferences of the roll of material in all other stages of its formation; and means coupled to the mounting members for urging the take-up roll toward the drive roll to provide predetermined driving pressure engagement of the roll of material against the drive roll.

13. Apparatus according to claim 12 wherein the means mounting the take-up roll on the second member includes a roll carrier element movably carried by the second member, and releasable latch means normally rigidly fixing the coupling element in a position locating the takeup roll axis coincident with the said axis D and releasable to afford moving the take-up roll out of engagement with the drive roll and into a position facilitating removal of the roll of material after it has been fully wound.

14. Apparatus according to claim 12 wherein the means urging the take-up roll toward the drive roll includes a pneumatic cylinder and means for delivering a variable pneumatic pressure to the cylinder to selectively change the driving pressure between the take-up roll and the drive roll.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,752,100 6/1956 Stange 242-18 2,950,067 8/1960 Keith 242-18 3,008,658 11/1961 Akers 242-18 3,009,661 11/1961 Akers 242-18 STANLEY N. GILBREATH, Primary Examiner. 

